What, first of all, does a passenger want to receive from an air carrier? It is comfort, reliability and safety. Also, he will not refuse an acceptable level of service and, of course, will not be against the punctuality of the company's employees: it is unlikely that any of us will like long flight delays.

Based on these airline customer requests, we have compiled a rating of the best Russian airlines, which is based on the expert opinion of several independent consulting agencies and the opinion of passengers who have already used the services of carriers.

TOP 10: The best airlines in Russia rating for 2020

In order for the rating to be the most truthful and versatile, we used mixed statistics in the article. Firstly, this is a direct customer survey, and secondly, an expert assessment. Employees of some consulting agencies, under the guise of "mystery passengers", personal experience checked the level of service: the cost of tickets, the quality of food on board the aircraft, the general level of service and the time of delays during departures (if any). The total score was summarized by us in the column "Overall rating" of our table.

Place	Name	Overall rating	Positive customer references
🏆 10	✈ Nordavia	⭐ 3.21 out of 5	👍 40 %
🏆 9	✈ Red Wings Airlines	⭐ 3.40 out of 5	👍 37 %
🏆 8	✈ Nordwind Airlines	⭐ 3.42 out of 5	👍 45 %
🏆 7	✈ Utair	⭐ 3.48 out of 5	👍 44 %
🏆 6	✈ Metrojet	⭐ 3.64 out of 5	👍 67 %
🏆 5	✈ Aeroflot	⭐ 3.79 out of 5	👍 55 %
🏆 4	✈ S7 Airlines	⭐ 3.84 out of 5	👍 58 %
🏆 3	✈ Russia	⭐ 3.86 out of 5	👍 62 %
🏆 2	✈ Yamal	⭐ 4.14 out of 5	👍 72 %
🏆 1	✈ I-Fly	⭐ 3.97 out of 5	👍 76 %

10th place. "Nordavia"

Regional carrier based in Arkhangelsk. Specializes in transportation within the Russian Federation, but there are also overseas flights- to Norway. Due to weather specifics, the number of flights in winter is much less than in summer. The aircraft fleet is quite "old", domestic aircraft are used to serve close regional flights: AN-24

🛫 Where are the routes?

In 14 largest Russian regional centers, also in Troms (Norway).

Departure without delay: 2.63

Food quality: 3.16

Service level on board: 3.53

9th place. Red Wings Airlines

The company is one of the fifteen largest air carriers in Russia. It has been on the market for eighteen years, in 2009 it went through a rebranding, after which it is known under its current name. It is considered one of the main tourist charter carriers. Most of the aircraft fleet are domestic aircraft.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Foreign charter flights on the most popular tourist routes from Moscow, St. Petersburg and several other regional centers.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3, 08

Food quality: 3.2

Service level on board: 3.5

8th place. Nordwind Airlines

Another charter passenger carrier offering charter flights to Europe, to the Mediterranean countries, as well as to Asian countries. The aircraft fleet is based in Moscow and consists of 24 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Actively upgrades and buys new aircraft, some of them were purchased this year.

🛫 Where are the routes?

On tourist routes from Moscow: Europe, India, Thailand, countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.46

Food quality: 2.97

Service level on board: 3.65

7th place. Utair

A company with partial foreign capital, specializing in aviation and helicopter transportation. The main ports of registry are located in Tyumen and Moscow. It carries out not only charter, but also regular flights: every day, the company's liners make about three hundred flights. Over the past two years, more than 17 million passengers have been transported on its aircraft.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Domestic regional flights, foreign flights on tourist routes to the countries of Europe, Africa, Asia.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.32

Food quality: 3.18

Service level on board: 3.83

6th place. "Metrojet"

The main activity of the air carrier is charter flights on most tourist routes in Europe. Since 2012 has been working closely with a major German travel company, therefore, part of the flights of the liners are carried out under the brand of the company "TUI".

🛫 Where are the routes?

EU countries (Spain, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria), also to Egypt and Turkey.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.88

Food quality: 3.69

Service level on board: 4.07

5th place. Aeroflot

The largest air carrier in Russia. The air fleet reads almost 200 liners, which includes aircraft of both domestic and foreign production. It is regularly updated, the average age of aircraft is 4.3 years. Routes are laid to 51 countries of the world. The attitude of clients is quite negative, although, according to many consulting companies, the level of service is at an acceptable level.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Internal regional routes to all regional centers, all European countries, most Asian countries, some African and American countries.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Four stars is a very good indicator

Departure without delay: 3.72

Food quality: 3.83

Service level on board: 3.89

The SKYTRAX rating is an objective assessment of airline services from a private independent British company. The rating is five-point - from one to five stars. Among hundreds of global companies, at the moment, only a few have received 5 stars.

4th place. S7 Airlines

The former name of the company - Siberia, is engaged in regular and charter flights within Russia, and its liners also carry out regular international flights: routes are laid to 26 countries of the world. Over the past few years, more than 10 million passengers have been transported annually. The fleet consists of 70 aircraft, the average age of the liners is 10 years.

🛫 Where are the routes?

European countries, neighboring countries, Egypt, Turkey, Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea)

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.89

Food quality: 3.64

Service level on board: 3.92

3rd place. "Russia"

A subsidiary of Aeroflot, based in St. Petersburg, from where most of the carrier's flights are carried out. It carries about 5 million passengers annually. Organized domestic flights across the country, there are also regular flights to European countries. The fleet consists of 62 liners, the average age is 13 years.

🛫 Where are the routes?

European countries (France, Germany), domestic flights to most regional centers of the country.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 4.02

Food quality: 3.46

Service level on board: 4.01

2nd place. "Yamal"

West Siberian air carrier with a fairly large fleet of airliners, in the amount of 60 units. The main place of registration is Salekhard, the average age of the aircraft is 11 years. Operates on 42 routes, most of which are domestic. Also engaged charter flights to European and Mediterranean countries.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Regional centers of Russia, CIS countries, Europe, UAE, Bangkok.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.88

Food quality: 4.02

Service level on board: 4.16

1 place. "I-Fly"

The best charter carrier today according to passengers and experts. The port of registry of the fleet is Moscow. The main field of activity is charter flights on foreign tourist routes. Collaborates with the travel company "TEZ-Tour".

🛫 Where are the routes?

Mediterranean countries, Spain, UAE, Asian countries (China, Thailand)

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 4.19

Food quality: 3.81

Service level on board: 4.06

Which airline is the best to use?

The final choice depends on your preferences. For example, if your priority is safety, then try to choose companies using new airliners. These, conditionally, can be considered any aircraft under the age of 12 years (after this period they must undergo a mandatory overhaul). Also, do not forget that the smaller the company, the smaller its financial turnover, therefore, they spend less money on servicing aircraft. Additionally, before the final choice, do not be lazy and look at the statistics of accidents and incidents by airline: these data can be found on many public Internet resources.

Most of the aircraft flying in Russia are no older than their analogues used abroad. However, 17.7% of the aircraft fleet are old aircraft, many of which have exhausted their resources and have problems with parts. Another disadvantage of the domestic market is problems with service and supervision, which is why almost the entire Russian fleet is registered in third countries

Photo: Transport-Photo Images

It became the largest disaster in the history of Russian aviation. The day after the tragedy of the Kogalymavia (Metrojet) Airbus 321, which killed 224 people, the Russian investigation opened two criminal cases under the articles “providing services that do not meet safety requirements” and “violating flight safety rules or training for them” . The searches took place at the carrier's office, Domodedovo, Samara airport, where the aircraft was refueled. State Duma deputies immediately called for a ban on the operation of aircraft over 15 years old (Airbus Kogalymavia was 18 years old) and the deprivation of the license of carrier companies with a small number of aircraft. The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, said that it leads to plane crashes. Deputies put forward similar initiatives after the crash of a 23-year-old Boeing 737 in Kazan on October 17, 2013. Then, as now, the public ignored the statements of airlines and industry experts who argued that an aircraft is not a machine and 20 years of operation for it is not such a long time.

Both aircraft - Boeing in Kazan and Airbus over Sinai - were operational according to the latest data. The Kazan disaster, as the commission of inquiry decided, the Egyptian one, was recognized as a terrorist attack three weeks later. Suspicions of the poor condition of aircraft flying in Russia, however, have not evaporated. RBC analyzed the fleet of Russian companies performing regular and charter passenger flights, and found out how justified the suspicions of wear and tear.

How we thought

The list of valid airworthiness certificates of the Federal Air Transport Agency as of October 22, 2015 (that is, aircraft that are allowed to fly in Russia), data from the official websites of carriers and Internet resources airfleets.com, russianplanes.net and flightradar24.com was taken as a basis. We excluded from complete list small aircraft (private jets), local airlines (practical range less than 1000 km, mainly An-2), helicopters, business jets, as well as all aircraft not used for passenger transportation - for example, cargo and agricultural. The sample also did not include aircraft that are not used to transport passengers for commercial purposes: for example, the air fleet of the Air Force, the Ministry of Emergencies and the special squad for the transportation of top officials (SLO Rossiya), as well as aircraft owned by aircraft manufacturing plants. The lists we received with detailed information about each aircraft were sent to all operating airlines with a request to confirm the correctness of the data we collected. All responses were included in the analysis results.

Our statistics also included aircraft of the second largest Russian airline, Transaero. was adopted on October 1, and on October 26, the company lost its air operator certificate and ceased operations. The Transaero fleet is in the process of being returned to lessors: Aeroflot, which has got part of the airline's routes, may receive several dozen cars, the rest will be sold on the market or written off. Taking into account the entire fleet of Transaero in the sample (according to open data as of October, this is 122 aircraft), we were guided by the fact that most of it could be transferred to other Russian operators, and the composition of the fleet reflects the economic model of the largest private Russian carrier.

What will happen to the huge fleet of Transaero, the second carrier after Aeroflot in terms of the number of aircraft (one of them is in the photo), is still unclear (Photo: TASS)

Which models are chosen

The most popular family in Russia is the medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319 and A321): 249 such aircraft are allowed to fly in the country. In second place with 203 sides is the medium-haul Boeing 737 family, whose flights were recently asked to be suspended by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).

According to our data, there are only 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 76.6% are Boeing 747, 767 and 777 models.

There is no definition of a medium-haul aircraft in Russian legislation. In the world, it is customary to include vehicles with a flight range of more than 2.5 thousand km into this category. Long-haul vehicles in Russia are those with a flight range of more than 8,000 km.

Not so long ago, Airbus became the leader among aircraft flying on medium-haul routes in Russia. Companies " big four”- Aeroflot, S7, UTair, Transaero — in 2013 shared their preferences in two, explains Andrey Kramarenko, a researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics. The first two chose Airbus, the second - Boeing. Now Transaero has stopped flights, and UTair has significantly reduced its fleet.

Two competing aircraft manufacturers provide most of the world's aircraft fleets. According to the international organization Center for Aviation (CAPA, Australia) for April 2013, 39.7% of all ships operated in the world are Boeing aircraft and 28.7% are Airbus. Russia is no exception. Aircraft of the two companies occupy 61.7% of the Russian fleet, 14.3% - other foreign aircraft (Embraer, Bombardier, De Havilland Canada, Let, ATR).

Domestic aircraft account for only 24% of the total fleet of Russian carriers. Moreover, for modern models - An-148, Tu-204, Tu-214 and Sukhoi Superjet - only 6.3%. The remaining 17.7% are old modifications of the An, Tu and Yak, most of which flew back in the USSR. "But in terms of passenger traffic the share of these machines is less than 5%,” adds a professor at the Moscow State Technical University civil aviation Alexander Friedland.

Sukhoi Superjet is the leader in terms of number of modern Russian models: domestic airlines have 39 such aircraft. RBC),” says Fridland. According to him, for local and regional routes it is large, and on main routes with good passenger traffic it is inferior to economical cars with 150-200 seats. “His niche is the main, but weak in terms of flows directions,” the interlocutor believes.

An-24 has not been produced since 1979, but there are 67 more such aircraft in the fleet of Russian companies (Photo: Transport-Photo Images)

Of the Soviet aircraft, the An-24 airline fleet has the most - 67 aircraft. A turboprop passenger aircraft for short and medium haul lines was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau (KB) in the late 1950s. The maximum capacity is up to 52 passengers. It is operated mainly by Russian regional companies (RBC considers those who do not make long-haul flights, flights through the capital's air hub and are not based in Moscow and St. Petersburg). “An-24 is the only aircraft in the world of this class that lands on the ground, on packed snow or on ice,” recalls Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, President of the Air Transport Infrastructure Development Fund. He flew all over airspace USSR and in the current conditions on Far North practically irreplaceable."

Now the An-24 continues to be used by companies based in the north: Polar Airlines, Yakutia, Chukotavia. So far, it is impossible to replace it en masse with foreign models. First, foreign-made aircraft that could land at the airfields in these regions can accommodate fewer passengers, Kramarenko explains. In addition, the technical documentation for them is in English, which is not known to all pilots and personnel of the An-24. However, during 2012-2013, Yakutia leased five Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft with a capacity of 70 to 80 seats. In addition to Bombardier, Canadian De Havilland Canada 6 Twin Otters fly in the Aeroflot subsidiary of the Far Eastern airline Aurora. Most likely, in the coming years, all An-24s will be replaced by foreign aircraft, “because they run out of their resource and it will become extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their airworthiness,” predicts Dmitry Mirgorodsky, partner at the consulting company Concuros, former vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. There are no replacements for their domestic counterparts.

The second most popular among Soviet aircraft is the Yak-42: there are 33 such aircraft in the fleet of Russian airlines. However, several of them are in storage: some are waiting for the replacement of parts, some will no longer rise into the air. The cars are part of the Gazpromavia, Grozny Avia, Izhavia, Saratov Airlines". The last company started flying Brazilian Embraer 190s two years ago.

How old are airplanes in Russia

As the study showed, on average in Russia, the age of foreign models is less than their resource, while our aircraft are often older. According to Andrey Sharypov, head of the department for certification of civil aviation ships of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, for foreign aircraft it is about 40-60 thousand hours, that is, 30 years. For the Soviets it was less - about 20 years. The manufacturer can extend the resource individually for each vessel.

For example, the average age of the Boeing 737 Classic generation (modifications 300, 400, 500) in Russia is 20.2 years. Generations Boeing 737 Next Generation (modifications 600, 700, 800, 900) - 9.1 years. Modifications Airbus 320 - 7.5 years, A319 - 11.9 years (see infographic). These figures are not much different from the global average. The Dutch airline KLM, according to planespotters.net, Boeing New Generation on average fly at the age of 9.3 years. The American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines, according to USA Today and airfleets.net, is 9.7 years old. Boeing 737 Classic cars (modifications 300, 400 and 500) of this airline are on average over 22 years old.

As for Airbus, the A320 fleet of the German Germanwings is 23 years old. The American Delta, which flies with Aeroflot in the Skyteam alliance, has 20.7 years. Delta's A319 aircraft are 13.8 years old.

The oldest model of aircraft flying in Russia is the An-24. On average, they are 42.1 years old. The average age of another Soviet Yak-42 aircraft still in operation is 24.7 years.

Soviet aircraft and modern Russian ones (with the exception of the Sukhoi Superjet), unlike foreign ones, have problems with details. Mass production of such machines has been stopped, so you have to order components by the piece, which costs many times more, says Sergey Koval, deputy head of the department for monitoring and verifying the authenticity of the Civil Aviation Research Institute. As a result, parts with forged documents are sometimes put on Soviet cars. According to Koval, up to 8% of illegal parts are now on the market, and from 2001 to 2015, 50 serious incidents occurred due to problems with parts (incidents with planes and helicopters are taken into account).

What happened to the Soviet design bureaus

The Saratov Aviation Plant, which produced the Yak aircraft, is bankrupt and completely liquidated. The design bureaus that developed the Soviet planes - Tupolev Design Bureau and Yakovlev Design Bureau (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation) - continue to exist mainly by escorting the remaining ships in service, Koval says. Antonov Design Bureau (now the Antonov State Enterprise) is located in Ukraine.

The age of the aircraft, according to professionals, does not affect its technical condition and airworthiness. “As a commander of a ship, I don’t ask: will you give me an old plane or will I fly on a new one, this doesn’t interest me at all,” Smirnov explains. The main thing is whether the aircraft underwent maintenance and repairs on time throughout its life. In addition, every detail of the aircraft has its own resources. By the time, Smirnov says, "the plane is 17 years old, these parts can be replaced several times."

The study showed that 58.7% of the aircraft in the Russian fleet had only one or two operators. And more than ten air carriers that have replaced each other - in the luggage only 3% of the boards. And in many cases, two of the same companies used the aircraft in turn. So, for example, the Izhavia aircraft had a Yak-42: according to airfleets.net, if you take into account the alternation of the same carriers, it changed 20 operators in 28 and a half years. According to Smirnov, professionals are distrustful of an aircraft that previously flew "in countries with high humidity, such as Africa." However, both the lessor and the owner are obliged to put such a car in order. In this regard, the lessor, and not the previous operator, is important for the technical condition of the aircraft, the expert believes.

As a rule, carriers abandon aircraft for economic reasons, and not because of the end of its resource, according to a study by the leasing company Avalon (offices in the US, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore and China). In Russia, foreign and new domestic aircraft models cease to be used at the age of 20-23, says HSE researcher Kramarenko. Global figures, according to Avalon research, are similar.

Airline age preferences

Russian airlines with the oldest fleet use Soviet aircraft. Among carriers with ten or more sides, the oldest fleet - 41.2 years - belongs to the Turukhan company, which is part of the UTair group. It mainly operates charter flights, including for mining companies. But Turukhan also has regular flights, so its aircraft were included in our study.

In total, there are 16 companies in Russia operating for regular and charter flights aircraft older than 25 years (see table).

The youngest park is at Pobeda, which has recently started working as a subsidiary of Aeroflot. Her sides are only a year old. Aeroflot, on the other hand, has an average fleet age, according to RBC calculations, of 4.6 years. The planes of Transaero, which stopped flying, were on average 18.6 years old (the S7 fleet - 9.2 years, and UTair - 14 years). In 2005-2008, many Russian airlines, including the Big Four carriers, when fuel prices went up, massively upgraded their fleet, preferring aircraft with lower fuel consumption. In particular, this explains the rather young fleet of foreign aircraft in Russia, Friedland notes.

On April 1, 2001, the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came into force, establishing reduced engine noise levels for aircraft flying in Europe. Almost all Soviet and Russian aircraft of that time: Tu-134, Tu-154B, Tu-154M, Il-62, Il-86. Thus, airlines that actively flew to Europe and transited over European countries were forced to change their old noisy cars to new imported ones.

Low-cost carrier Pobeda is the youngest Russian air carrier with the youngest fleet. Their Boeing is only a year on average (Photo: TASS)

There is also a significant difference between the average age of aircraft from different companies abroad. According to the Bloomberg rating, compiled in January 2013, the American Delta has an average age of 15.8 years, Southwest Airlines - 14.7, Aeromexico - 15.2, Lufthansa - 12.4, Air France- 11.5, Ryanair - five years.

Each company chooses for itself what is more cost-effective for it: a new or old aircraft, Mirgorodsky emphasizes. For example, buying a new Boeing 737-800 will cost about $48-55 million. The same ten-year-old model will already cost $16-18 million, says Alexander Kochetkov, head of the Gold "nsky Leasing leasing company. But old aircraft also require maintenance costs. Not all companies can afford to pay such amounts at a time - they have to lease cars.In Russia, according to Ilyushin Finance Co., at least 80% of aircraft in operation are leased.

This is exactly what the largest market player, Aeroflot, is doing, which is going to enter the top 20 global air carriers in terms of revenue and passenger traffic by 2025. For the sake of this goal, the airline has been not only increasing, but also refreshing its fleet for several years now, General Director Vitaly Savelyev repeatedly said in his interviews. “It is difficult to compete on the world market on an old aircraft,” Mirgorodsky explains the strategy. Aeroflot also gives older models to its subsidiaries - the airlines Aurora, Orenburg Airlines, Donavia, Rossiya.

But many companies do not even have enough money to lease new aircraft. Transaero, for example, which dreamed of ousting its state competitor, due to expensive debt financing, as she herself admitted in her financial reporting, built up the fleet with cheap foreign and old cars, Vedomosti wrote. After the devaluation of the ruble at the end of last year, leasing for Russian companies has risen in price even for old aircraft (leasing payments are made in foreign currency. — RBC), adds Mirgorodsky. According to Kochetkov's estimates, leasing a new Boeing 737-800 costs an average of $4.2 million per year, and about $2 million for a ten-year one.

The issue of flight safety is one of the most pressing issues that, one way or another, all travelers ask. Regardless of the distance, any tourist wants the hours and minutes spent in the sky to be as calm and comfortable as possible.

Often the choice of the airline that operates the flight, completely affects all these factors. Annually international companies ratings of airlines are compiled, reflecting the entire work of the carrier and its main indicator for the passenger - safety.

The Vipgeo portal represents the safest airlines in Russia and the world, according to international ratings and authoritative publications.

Important: The list of airlines was compiled on the basis of the rating of the European Agency for aviation security- EASA. There are several other similar agencies in the world, and their data may vary slightly.

Safe airlines in Russia

According to European agencies, for 2019, the airline "" is recognized as the safest carrier registered in Russia. She was assigned the highest rating of 0.24 points, based on the calculation - the closer to one, the more dangerous flights by this carrier.

The rating is compiled on the basis of checking the general condition of the liners, punctuality and compliance with documentary standards and international law. As for air crashes, since 1993, the Urals have not had a single incident with human casualties.

"S7"

In second place in terms of safety is the largest air carrier beyond the Urals " S7", formerly known as the company" Siberia ". The “Siberians” have an older aircraft fleet, most often 15-20-year-old Airbuses and Boeings work in the company on regular flights. However, the technical condition of the aircraft never caused any complaints from international commissions.

The biggest plane crashes of this company occurred in the early 2000s, when more than 300 people died in total. Since then, the level of security of transportation "S7" meets all international standards, and precedents, except for two emergency landings, was not recorded.

As for the largest and oldest airline in Russia - "" - today the most disputes. On the one hand, they have the most impressive budget and allow you to regularly update your fleet of aircraft. But on the other hand, a series of disasters in the 90s seriously damaged the reputation of the once transportation giant. Therefore, now - only third place and 0.38 points.

But the main thing worth saying about Aeroflot is that the company is the only Russian carrier that consistently enters international ratings. True, the same JACDEC agency in 2019 placed Aeroflot only in 36th place in the list of the safest airlines in the world.

Registered in Khanty-Mansiysk, the company "" today is one of the most popular carriers in the country, with dozens of domestic and international destinations.

Interestingly, the company's fleet is based on new medium-capacity aircraft of the ATR brand, which makes the carrier a kind of leader in short regional flights.

Air crashes have happened at UTair, but the last major incident happened in 2014 with a MI-8 cargo helicopter. Passenger aircraft fly without incident.

The safest airlines in the world

The rating of the safest air carriers in the world in 2019 was deservedly headed by the Hong Kong-based company. It has been on the market since 1946, and over the past three decades, the only accident associated with its aircraft has been a hard landing. passenger liner flying from Indonesia.

Today, Cathay Pacific Airways serves dozens of countries, including all South East Asia, Europe, USA and Russia. Recently, the company has even launched a Russian-language website with the ability to book tickets.

Despite incidents in 2017, carriers United Arab Emirates continue to rank second in the ranking of the safest airlines in the world. And the best of the best is the company "". They annually update the fleet of ships, and also regularly improve the quality of passenger service - from economy class to first class.

For Russian tourists Emirates is important if only because it cooperates with S7 organizing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi connecting flights to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Maldives. In addition, at 10 Russian cities there is a possibility of direct charter departure by aircraft of this company.

EVAAir

The third place in the ranking of the safest airlines is occupied by another Chinese carrier - " EVAAir". It began work in 1989, and over the years of its existence, it has not allowed a single air crash with human casualties. The only precedents were associated with a hard landing in the United States.

Unfortunately, Russian travelers can use the services of this airline only at Asian airports.

Qatar Airways

And the fourth place, according to the airline safety ratings of 2019, was firmly occupied by Middle Eastern aircraft from the company "". The carrier is based in Doha and serves 160 destinations worldwide. Since 1993, the company has had only two accidents, but both of them did without human casualties.

The carrier has a huge fleet of Boeings and Airbuses. What is attractive for Russian tourists is that Qatari planes regularly fly through Moscow, St. Petersburg and Voronezh.

Are low-cost airlines as dangerous as they are said to be?

Recently, due to increased reports of low-cost airline crashes, many tourists have begun to abandon cheap carriers, sincerely believing that companies intend to save on safety for the sake of the number of tickets sold. But how true is this?

Tourists with extensive experience flying low-cost airlines claim that rumors and speculation are nothing more than exaggerations. Yes, there are problems with low-cost airlines, but the key cause of disasters, as elsewhere, is the human factor. Links to supposedly old planes of our Pobeda and other cheap companies are fake. Doubting participants in the discussions are sent to the official websites of the carrier.

If we take the issue seriously, then the main problem of low-cost airlines is the lack of proper comfort during the flight, but not the safety of passengers. If you choose a cheap flight, you need to know what you are saving on. If you are afraid, you have a direct road to the ticket offices of major airlines.

01/14/2016 at 10:48 pm pavlofox · 68 570

Rating of Russian airlines in terms of flight reliability and safety for 2018-2019

Air travel safety is one of the most important factors. The reliability of an air carrier is determined by the absence of accidents in recent years, passenger traffic, EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certification and membership in the international organizations IOSA and ICAO.

The domestic air carrier Transaero was one of the top 20 world aviation leaders in terms of reliability and safety, and in the Russian rating it occupied the first position. But since October 2015, the company ceased operations due to bankruptcy. For this reason, Transaero is not included in the TOP-10.

Russia on reliability and safety of flights is compiled according to EASA data for 2018-2019.

10. Russia | 63 aircraft

“” (ROSSIYA Airlines) - the domestic air carrier opens the top ten the safest airlines our country at the end of last year. Rossiya is part of the Aeroflot group of companies. In 2018, Rossiya took the fifth position in the ranking of the largest Russian airlines. In 2013, at the Wings of Russia ceremony, she was awarded the Best Passenger Carrier for Regional Destinations. The size of the fleet includes 63 aircraft. The average age of aircraft is 13 years.

9. North wind | 30 aircraft

“” (Nordwind Airlines) is a charter airline created by the largest tour operator PegasTouristik. It is engaged in the implementation of flights to holiday countries. In 2019, it entered the 10 largest Russian air carriers. In terms of safety and reliability, Nordwind Airlines did not enter the top 100 in the world ranking, but managed to maintain its position in the top ten in the domestic ranking. The air fleet consists of 30 aircraft. The average age of air transport is 10.9 years.

8. Orenburg Airlines | 19 aircraft

“” (ORENAIR Airlines) is a subsidiary of Aeroflot. At the end of 2018, the air carrier was awarded "Charter Passenger Carrier", "Airline of the Year - Passenger Choice" - 1st place, "Airline of the Year - Domestic Passenger Carrier" - 3rd place. The air fleet consists of 19 Boening 737-800 and Boening 777-200 aircraft. The average age of transport is 11 years.

7. Red Wings | 14 aircraft

“” (Red Wings Airlines) is a domestic air carrier that operates foreign-made aircraft. Air park includes modern aircraft Airbus A320 and A321. The average age of air transport is 11.3 years.

6. Yamal | 37 aircraft

Aviation Transport Company (YAMAL Airlines) is the main air carrier in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and the Tyumen Region. YAMAL Airlines was certified by IATA (International Air Transport Association) in 2013, confirming its reliability and safety of flights. In 2018, the company won three awards: “Best Airline of the Year – Domestic Passenger Carrier”, “Airline of the Year – Helicopter Operator” and “Best Passenger Carrier on Regional Routes”. The air carrier did not enter the first hundred of the world safety rating, but took 6th place in the Russian rating. The fleet includes 37 aircraft, the average age of which is 11 years.

5. Globe | 23 aircraft

“” (Globus) is one of the youngest airlines, formed on the basis of the Siberia ships (S7 Airlines). The company places particular emphasis on flight safety and reliability. To do this, the security system is regularly tested and constantly improved. Globus cooperates with many travel agencies. Flights on tourist routes are the main activity of the air carrier. The Globus fleet consists of S7 Airlines aircraft and includes 23 Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which have been received since the fall of 2018 and continue to be received in 2019 as well. The average age of aircraft is 8.9 years.

4. UTair | 65 aircraft

“” (UTair) is one of the largest Russian airlines, which is one of the five largest in terms of passenger traffic. Although UTair was not included in the top 100 safest carriers in the world, it took an honorable fourth place in the national rating. UTair was awarded in 2019 as the Best Passenger Carrier on Regional Routes. Flight personnel regularly undergo advanced training. The fleet includes 65 aircraft and 145 helicopters. The average age of transport is 11.5 years.

3. Siberia | 100 aircraft

"Siberia"(S7 Airlines) is one of the three largest and safest airlines in Russia in 2018-2019. S7 Airlines has won numerous competitions. In 2015, the air carrier received the National Geographic Traveler Awards 2015, winning in the Best Russian Airline nomination. Among the world's air carriers, Siberia took 94th place in the safety and reliability rating. Part air fleet includes Airbuses and Boeings, the total number of which is 100 units. The average service life of air transport is 10 years.

2. Ural Airlines | 45 aircraft

(Ural Airlines) is one of the leading Russian airlines in terms of reliability and safety. In 2018 Ural Airlines were awarded a triple award in the nominations "Best Airline of the Year - Passenger Carrier on Domestic Airlines", "Best Airline of the Year in International scheduled airlines and E-Commerce Leader of the Year. In terms of passenger traffic, the company took 6th place among Russian air carriers. The average service life of the aircraft fleet is 12.5 years. The fleet size is currently 45 air units.

Ural Airlines has a gym, which is designed to train flight crews. Here, pilots are trained according to individual programs, improving their professional skills to improve safe flights. The gym owned by the air carrier is the only one in Russia. Such equipment in the world has only best airlines, such as Emirates, Lufthanza and others.

1. Aeroflot | 247 aircraft

(Aeroflot) - ranks first in terms of safety and reliability among Russian air carriers. At the end of 2018, he took the 35th position in terms of air safety in the world ranking of the independent German agency Jacdec. Aeroflot has also been repeatedly recognized as the best airline. of Eastern Europe. The fleet includes 247 aircraft. This is one of the youngest air parks in Europe and the world. The average age of aircraft is 4.1 years. During the Winter Olympic Games in 2014, Aeroflot acted as the official air carrier.

What else to see:

Air travel has become an integral part of everyday life for many people. Business trips to different parts of the country and abroad are always associated with the purchase of air tickets, during which everyone tries not only to find a favorable price offer, but also to fly with a reliable air carrier.

Especially for you, we have compiled a list of Russian airlines in 2020, ranking them according to the degree of reliability and accident-free operation in accordance with the research of the German agency Jacdec, the European organization EASA and the international organizations IOSA and ICAO.

When calculating the aviation safety index, data on disasters over the past 30 years are taken into account, as well as passenger traffic, the number of victims and lost airliners.

When compiling the list, we also took into account the level of service on board and the average age of Russian airlines. The rating statistics by the number of liners and their average age is based on March 2016 data.

Rating of Russian airlines in terms of flight reliability and safety 2020

1. Aeroflot
2. Russia
3. Ural Airlines
4. UTair
5. Orenburg Airlines
6. Red Wings

Aeroflot

The first place in the rating by all indicators is rightfully occupied by Aeroflot, the largest air carrier in the Russian Federation, which has the largest fleet in Europe. This is the only domestic company that appears in the prestigious Jacdec rating, which means that it is considered by foreign experts to be more reliable than others in Russia. In addition, Aeroflot has repeatedly received the honorary title of the best airline in Eastern Europe.

The advantages of the company are different models of aircraft for every taste, well-trained staff, well-thought-out bonus programs and its own Situation Center, created to quickly solve problem situations. Aeroflot includes Rossiya, Transaero and Pobeda airlines.

• Year of foundation - 1923.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 170 units.
• Average age of airliners: 4.5 years.

Before the rebranding, the company was named "Siberia". If we consider reliability, then S7 is among the top three recognized leaders in this indicator. In 2015, this well-known air carrier received an award from National Geographic as the best Russian airline, and ranks 95th in the S7 world ranking.

A significant advantage of the company is profitable bonus program, thanks to which regular passengers can accumulate bonuses and subsequently spend them on paying part of the cost of tickets. A feature of S7 is convenient direct flights to Asia.

• Year of foundation - 1957.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 58 units.
• Average age of airliners: 10 years.

In 2015, Rossiya Airlines entered the TOP-10 air carriers of our country in terms of flight safety. In 2014, Rossiya was recognized as the best in the field of regional routes, and in 2014 it became the fifth largest domestic airline. In terms of punctuality, Rossiya was included in the rating of top European companies.

The main advantage of Rossiya is its democratic pricing policy and impeccable cleanliness on board. Passengers are dissatisfied only with airliners, whose age in most cases exceeds 10 years.

• Year of foundation - 1992.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 23 units.
• Average age of airliners: 13.6 years.

Ural Airlines

The planes of one of the largest domestic air transportation companies in 2014 were recognized as the most reliable, and the air carrier itself received three awards at once, including as the best on domestic routes.

If we consider the volume of passenger traffic in Russia, Ural Airlines takes an honorable third place. A distinctive feature of the airline is the availability of a special training room for pilots, which has analogues only abroad.

• Year of foundation - 1993.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 35 units.
• Average age of airliners: 12.7 years.

This company is in the TOP-5 in Russia in terms of passenger traffic. In 2014, UTair received a prestigious award as the best passenger carrier on regional routes.

• Year of foundation - 1991.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 66 units.
• Average age of airliners: 14.5 years.

The main sphere of presence of this air carrier is the Tyumen region and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The fact that the aircraft used by the company are recognized as safe and reliable reflects the certificate of the International Air Transport Association, which Yamal received in 2013. A year later, the carrier was recognized as the best airline in the field of passenger transportation and the best helicopter operator.

The advantages of the Yamal company are flights to hard-to-reach settlements and regular expansion of the route network. Passengers are dissatisfied with the lack of punctuality of pilots.

• Year of foundation - 1997.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 24 units.
• Average age of airliners: 14.1 years.

Orenburg Airlines

This air carrier is a subsidiary of the Russian Aeroflot. In 2013, Orenburg Airlines received national recognition by being awarded the Airline of the Year award according to passengers.

• Year of foundation - 1992.
• Aircraft in the fleet: 19 units.
• Average age of airliners: 11 years.

The only aviation company in the Russian Federation that operates domestic Tu-204 and Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliners.

• Year of foundation - 1999.
• Aircraft in the park: 13 units.
• Average age of airliners: 6.6 years.

So, now you know the best airlines in Russia 2020, which made it to our list due to their excellent level of service, impressive volume passenger air transportation, a large number of safe technically serviceable modern aircraft, punctuality and favorable price offers. When looking for a reliable air carrier, try to choose from these companies in order to be sure of the safety and comfort of your upcoming flight.